DECODE has been supporting clients to leverage decision science insights to grow their brands since 2007.
Our team combines the practical know-how of senior marketing executives with behavioural scientists to turn scientific learnings into actionable insights and guidelines. This deep understanding of marketing challenges and how to use decision science to master them makes DECODE one of the leading consultancies in this area.
With subsidiaries in Germany, UK and the US, we support our clients in projects around the globe.
Dr. Christian Scheier is one of the few neuropsychologists worldwide who combines science and practical competence in marketing consultation. After a scientific career at the renowned California Institute of Technology and the successful development of an agency for marketing research, he founded DECODE Marketingberatung GmbH together with Dr. Dirk Held.
Dr Dirk Held, along with Dr Christian Scheier, is the co-founder and joint CEO of DECODE marketing consultancy. He is one of the leading experts in translating scientific findings into actual marketing practice. He is the author of several bestselling books on the topic of neuromarketing, and he advises international brands on how to optimise their marketing activities. Dr Held has a degree in psychology, an MBA and his PhD in behavioural economics was about the influence of brands on purchasing decisions.
Dr Björn Held did his PhD in the field of Cognitive Psychology. After post-doctoral work on unconscious control mechanisms at the University of London, he applied his scientific expertise to Marketing practice by joining Unilever as a behavioural scientist. Working in England and Germany, he developed the first implicit testing methods to be applied successfully to consumer research. Bjorn worked for Beiersdorf AG from 2005 to 2011, including four years as Head of Market Research for Germany.
A qualified psychologist who is a recognized authority on advertising and marketing psychology and a specialist in implicit consumer research. In his scientific research, he has primarily focused on the implicit influences on buying behavior. He was one of the first people in Germany to utilize implicit methods to research marketing issues. Until the end of 2007, Martin Scarabis was employed at the Psychological Institute of the University of Munster in the fields of basic research and theory. He holds a number of lectureships at the University of Basle, and the Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen.
Johannes Schneider is an accomplished brand strategist with much experience in international advertising agencies. A certified psychologist with a specialism in marketing and advertising psychology, he is a passionate brand specialist who has experience with international consumer goods brands, and is an expert in the development and implementation of brand and communications strategies. He is co-author, with Dr. Christian Scheier, Dr. Dirk Held et. al., of Codes. Die geheime Sprache der Produkte (Haufe 2010). Before he switched to DECODE, Johannes was Planning Director at BBDO Dusseldorf where he had strategic responsibility for the global budget of Braun. Previously, as a strategic planner at JWT and Publicis Sasserath in Frankfurt, he worked with different brands from Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and Bongrain, among others. Before starting his career in advertising, Johannes worked in qualitative market research for three years. Since 2003, he has held a lectureship at the Institute for Psychology of the Johannes Gutenberg-University in Mainz.
Marc Heimeier is an expert on Brand Equity Management and a passionate 'neuro-marketeer'. Based on his 20-years experience at Henkel he knows all the daily challenges that a marketeer faces. As a pioneer, he introduced principles of neuropsychology to Henkel in 2007. He has used the DECODE Brandcode Management process for brands such as Persil, Spee and Perwoll with international success. Since the beginning of 2016 Marc has been sharing his knowledge and experience in consultancy projects with clients of DECODE.
Ulf Wentzien is a passionate Marketing Executive with over 30 years of experience in Marketing & Sales. In his role as CMO in DAX30 companies he was responsible for global growth as well as the development of new brands and business ideas. He is one of the very few Marketeers who have extensive hands on expertise both in B2C and B2B. In May 2021, he joined DECODE as a partner.
Juliane Matussek has more than 10 years experience in Market Research and data-driven marketing consultancy. In DECODE's Research & Innovation Unit she is jointly responsible for the development of new methods of empirical measurement that are based on the latest neuroscientific findings. She graduated in Sociology from the University of Potsdam and also studied at Southampton University in the UK. Her career to date includes roles at Ipsos (Hamburg), Vocatus (Munich) and, most recently, Millward Brown (Hamburg) where she was Account Manager responsible for the brand communication and strategy needs of their consumer goods clients.
Eva-Maria Kolb is a member of the Research & Innovation Unit at DECODE, where she is responsible for the implementation of international research projects using neuropsychological measurement methods. She is also jointly responsible for the development of new study designs based on current research findings. As a social scientist she has many years of experience in the field of data-driven research and project work. She graduated from the University of Siegen, where she conducted research in the fields of voting decisions and network theory, decision-making and leadership.
Felix Köppen gained his diploma in psychology with a focus on behavioural economics, neuropsychology & statistics. With his many years of practical experience and his academic background, he manages national and international market research studies from the conception, preparation and analysis of the results to their transfer to marketing consulting. As a member of the Research & Innovation Unit of DECODE since 2016, Felix Köppen is jointly responsible for the development of new methods of empirical measurement based on the latest neuroscientific findings.
Angelika Krause is a member of DECODE’s Research & Innovation Unit, where she is jointly responsible for the implementation of neuropsychological measurement methods in international research projects. She has a degree in economics and has many years of experience working for major market research companies: She worked on ad-hoc research on the retail panel at GfK Marketingservices (Nuremberg). She was a key account executive at TNS Infratest (Frankfurt a.M.), where she was responsible for research for one of the largest international consumer goods manufacturers. She gained particular expertise in brand equity studies. Angelika has been working at DECODE for several years, which has built her expertise in neuromarketing.
Julia Richter has been a study leader in DECODE’s Research & Innovation Unit since 2016. She is responsible for the implementation of local and international research projects using neuropsychological measurement methods. She has many years of experience in market research in the telecommunications, customer satisfaction and automotive sectors. Prior to joining DECODE, she worked for IPSOS (Hamburg), where she was responsible for key account support and carrying our international studies.
Elena Sprogies, who holds a degree in sociology, is a Senior Research Manager in the Research & Innovation Team, responsible for the supervision of national and international projects. Since 2006, she has been supporting companies as a Research Manager in the area of brand strategy and its implementation through evidence-based insights. Stages of her professional career include Icon Added Value and Dr. von Keitz in Hamburg.
Rubica Bhowmick has worked with a wide variety of clients and brands in her role Research Manager role. Her experience includes UX/CX and consumer insights research both in B2C and B2B companies. She holds a master in Economics. In her most recent role, Rubica set-up and led a market research team in Pune, India for Wolters Kluwer.
Phil Barden is a proven marketer offering over 25 years of client-side experience, including senior and international roles at high profile companies such as Unilever, Diageo and T-Mobile. Fascinated by the insights from decision science and by the value these can bring to marketing, he quit his international brand director post in order to immerse himself in this new field. He is now one of very few experts to combine a practitioner's perspective with a profound knowledge of decision science, making him very much in demand among clients.
Miranda has over 20 years’ experience in brand planning, research and strategic communications in the advertising and media industries (BBC, Leo Burnett, KHBB, Ogilvy & Mather), gained during a period of unprecedented change in the communications landscape. She has a track record both in senior management positions in multinational agencies, holding two Executive Planning Director posts, and as an entrepreneur building a brand from initial idea to multi-market distribution. Her deep interest in human behaviour and consumer decision-making led her back to formal academic studies to complement her skills in brand building and consumer insight with an MSc (Distinction) in Psychology.
Dr. Nick Carnagey combines his behavioral science and business expertise to help clients grow their brands through leveraging the latest decision science insights. After a successful academic career in social-cognitive psychology, he transitioned into the business world by joining P&G and spent five years in brand managing roles.
Dr. Carnagey then joined the Behavioral Science Innovation Group and became a thought leader in growing brands through implementing behavioral insights science into day to day practice. He came to work with DECODE Marketing in this P&G role while exploring which external agencies had the best-in-class solutions in behavioral science application. He has been in charge of DECODE’s US office since October 2015.